Terms and Conditions for adopting a dog from KGR

Thank you for giving a home to a retired/rescued dog. Please remember that adopting a dog is a very serious commitment that requires your time and effort.

KGR gathers as much information as possible about its dogs and this information is fully shared with you prior to the adoption. Please note that it is not always possible for KGR to obtain the full profile of a dog as the majority of them come with only partial history or with none at all, as they are found as stray. They may have been found starving, have suffered cruelty or neglect, may have been unwanted or simply retired from racing. Some may have never have been in a home before. KGR makes every possible effort to assimilate the dogs before they are rehomed and ensure they are in good physical condition. However, KGR can give no definite assurance on any aspect of a dog’s temperament, long-term physical condition, its exact age and pedigree, or predict the size it is going to be if it is still a puppy.

By adopting a dog from KGR and signing the contract you must understand the above and agree to the following:

  • You will give the dog a good caring home and promise that it will not be sold, raced, used for breeding, abandoned, neglected or given away.
  • You will make every effort to ensure the dog settles well into its new environment, and you will invest in the relevant training and behaviour classes to facilitate this, if required. You understand this requires commitment and patience.
  • You will keep the dog vaccinated, de-flead and wormed throughout its life, and provide the appropriate medical care if necessary.
  • If you have adopted a puppy (under 6 months old), you agree to having it neutered/spayed at around 9 months and understand that you will pay for the operation. 
  • You agree that you are responsible for all veterinary fees from the date of adoption onwards and that you are advised to consider the advantages of joining a Pet Insurance scheme. Your new dog will get four weeks of free cover with Petplan, courtesy of KGR, but it is your responsibility to contact Petplan to activate it. This can be done by calling Petplan on 0800-197-3713 and quoting the following reference number: 1300053619.
  • You are fully aware of the special responsibilities of owning a sighthound (greyhound, whippet, lurcher etc) that may have been trained to chase and will not allow it to be a nuisance or to worry livestock or small animals. You understand that you are liable for any damage that results from your negligence. You will use a muzzle and keep the dog on a lead until you are confident it will not chase smaller animals, run away and/or cause harm.
  • If the dog is to be rehomed to a home with a cat in residence, you agree to follow the guidance notes issued by KGR (see below for our simple, step-by-step guidance section ‘Hounds and cats’).
  • The dog will remain microchipped, and the ownership will be transferred from KGR to the new owner. The dog/bitch must at ALL times wear an ID disc showing your name and address. Should the dog go missing, you will inform the Council Dog Warden, the Police, KGR and Dog Lost (www.doglost.co.uk) immediately. You will take all possible steps to find the missing dog.
  • You are willing for a representative of KGR to visit the dog to check on its welfare at any reasonable time.

Returning the adopted hound to KGR

Adopting a dog is a lifetime commitment but in the unlikely event that you are no longer able to care for the dog, it must be returned to KGR. KGR will not refund under any circumstances the donation fee if the dog is returned.

Once the hound is returned to KGR, the charity takes the full ownership of it, and it will not be returned to the previous owner.

In the unlikely event of the adopted hound having to be returned to KGR:

  • The owner must hold onto the dog until a kennel or foster space becomes available, which might take several weeks. KGR cannot guarantee a set timescale although in an emergency we will try our very best to find a space.
  • If no space is available and the owner is unable to keep the dog, the owner can privately board the dog at our kennels until a KGR kennels space becomes available.
  • The owner is fully responsible for the boarding fees until a KGR kennels space becomes available. KGR cannot guarantee a set timescale.
  • The owner is fully responsible for transporting the dog to the kennels/foster home, once a space is available.
  • The dog must be returned with either the original vaccination card or an up to date current vaccination card showing the current vaccination status. If the dog was homed with a pet passport, this must also be returned with the dog.

Hounds and cats

Occasionally sighthounds (greyhounds, lurchers, whippets etc) can live with cats, but the process of training these dogs takes time, effort and patience and should not be entered into lightly. Above all it takes confidence from the new owners – your new hound will probably get very excited at meeting your cat but you need to keep calm and be in control of the situation.

We only cat-test the KGR dogs to see which ones we think are suitable to live with cats – we do not cat-train them for you. If we believe that a dog is not suitable to live with cats we will let you know. If you do not follow the guidance, there is a greater risk of your cat and dog being unable to live together.

Step-by-step guidance:

Make sure the cat is indoors before you go to collect your new dog. You may need to plan to keep the cat indoors for several  weeks, if your cat is nervous this could take longer, so you will also need to think about litter trays etc. Keeping your cat indoors also ensures that it cannot take offence and go to find a new home elsewhere.

Before collecting your new dog you should make a comfortable and appealing den for him, inside a crate. This needs to be set up in the room that the family uses the most. The crate allows everyone to keep calm in the first few days, so you are less stressed, your greyhound is less stressed and your cat cannot come to any harm. We are always happy to lend you a crate if we have one available, as you should only need one for a few weeks.  This does not form part of your adoption agreement and it is your responsibility to purchase a crate if we do not have one to lend.  We do ask for a security deposit of £50 to ensure the crate is returned to KGR.  The deposit will be returned to you as soon as you return the crate.

On arriving home with your new hound, ensure that he is muzzled, has a correctly fitting collar, harness and is on a strong lead.

Be confident. Your dog will be wearing a muzzle so the cat is protected should you accidentally drop the lead. The dog will sense if you are nervous or worried, so remain calm and confident at all times.

Introduce your new dog to the cat. If the dog gets excited and lunges for the cat, say NO and mean NO. At this point you need to be very firm so your new hound knows it is not acceptable to chase the cat. Once it stops reward it with a tasty treat and lots of fuss.

Remember to allow your cat to be in charge – a good smack from the cat always helps and will serve as a reminder to the hound not to mess with the cat. Never stop the cat from trying to be the boss.

Try to keep the dog and cat and the rest of your family in the same room for as much time as possible, so the dog realises the cat is part of the family and gradually loses interest in the cat. After the initial meeting keep either the dog or the cat in the crate, but allow the one not crated to go up to the crate and meet the other animal.

The more your dog and cat get used to each other, the quicker the process will be.

Gradually let the dog out of the crate when you are in the room, and get it used to the cat. At this point you can take off the muzzle, but keep the dog on a lead.

Always correct wrong behaviour with a firm NO and good behaviour with a tasty treat.

Never allow your dog and cat to be alone in the same room until you are a 100 per cent sure they have accepted each other. Even when you are absolutely, sure, only leave them for very short periods, in a place where you can keep an eye on them and intervene if necessary.

Don’t be worried if you don’t see an improvement within a few days. Much depends on your consistent commitment to the training, on the personality of your cat, as well as that of the dog. So given all these variables the whole process can take many weeks. Even when trained to live together we do not recommend you leave them alone together when you are not around to supervise.

X